


Red Thread of Destiny

by Nymph (Treekianthia)



Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon Compliant, F/M, Ficlet, Red String of Fate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 13:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28921332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treekianthia/pseuds/Nymph
Summary: In the land of Orsterra, almost every person is born with a red thread that intertwines their destiny with another person. Such things are seen as merely a nuisance to Therion, however, and he tries his best to escape the destiny that has been written for him. Though he thinks he's succeeded, he soon learns that destiny still has plans for him.
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Tressa Colzione/Therion
Comments: 7
Kudos: 24





	Red Thread of Destiny

In the land of Orsterra, there were always whispers of the word “destiny”.

Destiny, as they called it, was the red thread that was wrapped around the left ring finger of almost every person since the day they were born. It connected two individuals who were bound by fate, whether it was a fate full of happiness or sorrow. Each thread was only visible to the individual who bore it, and it followed them around wherever they went, ever growing or ever shrinking. It was almost ghostly, having no physical characteristics beyond the ability to be seen. It could not be touched, it could not be tangled, it could not be forgotten.

But it could be cut.

Therion was not the kind of person to believe in “destiny”. To him, the only thing that mattered in the world was his ability to survive. Abandoned by a mother who could not afford to raise him on her own, Therion spent most of his life on the streets. Ever since he was young, he had to steal food in order to survive. He had no time to focus on the red thread that was bound to his finger, or where it led. 

He grew up ignoring the thread and making connections with many dangerous people. Many of those he met had discarded their own threads to focus on a life of crime, saying they were nothing more than a nuisance. Some said they kept them, thinking it would lead them to something grand, but they were ridiculed for their foolishness. Any true thief did not care for destiny, as destiny had already betrayed them. In this world, their destiny was just to die on the streets where they had come from.

As the thread could not normally be touched, cutting it was a task that proved difficult. It required a strong kind of magic that very few people knew, and not many people offered their services. The magic would make the string tangible, and then it could be cut with a knife made of pure silver. Those who offered to help you abandon your destiny could often be found at black markets, but they required a hefty price for such a rare procedure. As an orphan who lived only on the streets and the occasional tavern, Therion had no such fortune to provide.

So he learned how to do it himself.

After years of stealing books and reading through them, Therion finally learned how to cut his own red thread. The spell required nothing more than a few rare items and a drop of his own blood to cast, and as a thief, he knew how to get his hands on what he needed. Gathering said items, however, took another year in itself and a few scrapes with death. Once they were in hand, however, he did not hesitate to cut his thread. Throwing the items into a fire, he cut his left hand with a silver dagger and let his blood drip into the flames.

The flames hissed and smoke rose as Therion held his hand above the fire. His hand began to throb, and the thread around his finger grew tighter. Taking the dagger in his free hand, Therion made one quick motion, cutting the thread with ease. The edges fell into the flames, where they began to burn.

A sharp wind began to blow, almost as if a storm were passing through. Therion shielded his face with his arms, and a moment later, the wind died down as quickly as it had started. What remained of the thread began to turn black, and after a few moments, it burst into a dark miasma that promptly disappeared. The thread was completely gone, and Therion was free from his so-called destiny. He could now do as he pleased.

* * *

Half a year had passed since Therion had cut his thread, and many things had changed. He had attempted to steal a precious treasure, only to be shackled like a fool and sent to retrieve more treasures in order to gain his freedom. He had also gained traveling companions against his will, and now worked amongst a group of eight. It was nothing like he had planned, but he had a feeling it was “destiny” trying to regain control. He wouldn’t let it though.

Amongst his traveling companions, two groups had found themselves finding the other end of their thread. The Dancer who had come from Sunshade found that her destiny led her to the Apothecary from Clearbrook, while the Scholar from Atlasdam found that his thread was shared with a Huntress from S’warkii. The Warrior, meanwhile, was betrayed by the one who shared his thread, and the Cleric had yet to find where her destiny led. The Merchant, however, did not talk much about her thread. In fact, she seemed to grow depressed whenever the topic came up.

“I’d prefer not to talk about it,” Tressa would say whenever somebody asked about hers. Her eyes would dart away, and she would grow quiet until the subject was changed. Therion did not care for his companions’ threads, but he always found her reaction to be quite odd. Every girl her age was normally obsessed with where their thread would lead them.

It was not until an incident in Quarrycrest that the truth came out. The travelers had met a young man named Ali, who proved to be quite the rival to Tressa. When Tressa was cooling down in the town’s inn after an argument with him, Primrose teased her, asking Tressa if that’s perhaps where her red thread led to.

Tressa immediately grew quiet, and a few moments later, tears began to fall down her cheeks. Primrose immediately retracted her statement, and asked the much younger girl what was wrong. It took a few minutes before Tressa was comfortable with admitting why the red thread was such a sensitive topic for her.

“Half a year ago, I woke up and my thread was just gone… I have no idea what happened to it…” Tressa admitted. “I don’t have a destiny anymore, and at this point I have no idea what to do…”

Therion tensed up as he listened to Tressa’s words. _ Half a year ago? That was the same time he had cut his thread… _ He had not thought about what would happen to the other person the thread was connected to. Of course if it disappeared for him, it would disappear for them too. It had been destroyed completely.

But no, Tressa could not be the person he had been tied to by fate. The two of them did not get along, and they often argued more than she had with Ali. Destiny would not try to play such a dirty trick on him… But it had already proven to him it wanted to shackle him despite his efforts to escape. His head spun just thinking about it. He needed fresh air.

Therion left the inn without a word. Though Primrose asked where he was going, he did not respond. He needed to be alone. He could not wrap his head around the idea of being tied to that girl, even if their thread was gone. He had spent all that time trying to cut it, and now…

And now...

He needed to escape destiny once again.

**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet is more of a proof of concept than anything really serious! I wanted to gauge reactions to it before making the decision if I want to turn this into a full series or not, since I do have another series in the works already!
> 
> The trope itself is rather generic, but I got the idea to write it for these two after seeing an ad during late night youtube watching. I thought it would be in character for Therion to try to run from destiny, since that seems like his sort of thing, and wondered how it would affect our dear Tressa!
> 
> If you'd like to see more of this, however, let me know!!


End file.
